The chaotic road to the 2019 Oscars ceremony, explained

We usually spend most of Oscar season arguing about the actual movies: whether they should be nominated, who got snubbed, if movie X is a masterpiece or a travesty. But this year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that gives out the awards, seems to have decided that it would rather distract from the movies themselves by messing with the telecast of the ceremony, provoking repeated outcry from film fans, industry observers, and even the Academy’s own members.

After a litany of missteps and misfires, announcements and backtracking, and what seems like a lot of unforced errors, the final form of the 2019 Oscars finally seems to be settled. Following backlash and near-revolt from within its ranks, the Academy announced on February 15 that, contrary to its previously announced plan to hand out four awards during commercial breaks and then air the corresponding acceptance speeches later in the broadcast, it will now hand out all 24 awards live — likely resulting in a broadcast that runs a little longer than the three hours it promised last summer.

But there’s been a lot of frustration from Academy members and Oscar fans to get to this point, and everyone seems disgruntled. There are ways to fix the situation. But as a recounting of the Academy’s repeated missteps on the way to the February 24 ceremony shows, good will has been lost. And the organization will have to think hard about how to regain it in the future.